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‘Shall We Dance’: the perfect treat for ballroom and Latin dance fans

Pictured here are professional dancers, Ryan Hammond and his new partner, Angelique Allison who will be performing this year in Shall We Dance at the Playhouse Opera.

AROUND 100 dancers will be strutting their stuff on the Playhouse Opera Theatre stage in Durban for the 25th season of Shall We Dance.

This glittering showcase of ballroom and Latin American dance runs from September 8 to 17 and features dancers from as young as eight years old.

Among the performers is Ryan Hammond, a familiar face to Shall We Dance fans. The Strictly Come Dancing star will be dazzling theatre-goers with his new partner, Angelique Allison.

It is the second time that the pair has appeared on the Durban stage, having performed the Adage last year. This time they’ll be displaying the Latin American style that got them top spot in the South African Latin Championships.

Also back at the Opera Theatre is SA professional ballroom champion, Penwell Nhlapo, who will partner Lindelwa Mankangeni.

The duo has been dancing together for six months and have multiple ballroom awards individually. Most recently, they won the SASOL Championships in Mpumalanga.

Looking beyond Shall We Dance, the couple will be focusing on the Gold Cup in South Africa and an American competition in Boston in February.

The final professional team taking part in the dance extravaganza are Gerhard van Rooyen and Micheline Marmol, who were finalists in the British Championship last month.

Fresh from the United Kingdom, they will be showcasing the Adage, a dance discipline that combines strength, fluidity and rhythm.

Adding an exotic flare to the show will be the flamboyant dancers from the Linda Vargas Spanish Dance Company.

In Ole Sevilla, they will showcase the talents of the entire company, who will be joined by classical Spanish dancer, Carmen Zulueta from Sevilla in Spain.

Their second number, Alegrias, will include a solo performance by Ramon Fernandez, who is currently living and working in Spain. He will be accompanied by Demi Fernandez on guitar and Bryan Stone on percussion.

Dance veterans, Caryl Cusens and Neville Letard, are the joint directors of Shall We Dance, which includes ballet, belly-dance, tap, Irish dancing and modern.